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Negative Calorie - Fat Burning Foods

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By Stacie Naczelnik

You might have heard about "Fat Burning Foods" or "Negative Calorie Foods," but will you really lose weight faster by eating these foods?

Can you lose weight by eating just these foods? Even if you don't exercise?

First of all, let's examine the reasoning behind this idea. Basically, your body burns calories by digesting food. In fact, your body burns calories while carrying out all of its bodily functions. Fat burning foods, or negative calorie foods, are supposed to be so low in calories that digesting these foods burn more calories than they contain.

Unfortunately, negative calorie foods simply do not exist. There is no such things as fat burning foods.


While there are low-calorie, water-rich foods that many consider as negative calorie foods, like celery and cucumbers, you simply cannot exist on a diet primarily made up of these foods.

You might see some initial weight loss if you only consume these foods, but your overall health and energy levels will plunge. It is important to maintain a minimum number of daily calorie consumption (generally, 1200 is the lowest to aim for, but no lower).

Let's look at it another way. Your body tends to burn about 10% of your total calorie intake during digesting. So, if you eat 1500 calories, you burn 150. If you eat 2500 calories, you burn 250. The amount you burn does not compare to what you consume. Don't believe the advertisements that tell you you can lose weight without exercising by only eating these foods. Adding these foods to any diet plan might help you lose weight, but they definitely don't act as the golden ticket to weight loss.

By adding these kinds of foods to your diet, along with a regular exercise routine, you can and will lose weight in a safe way. Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet combined with exercise is the best way to lose weight and keep it off permanently.

Remember that there are no such things as free foods. And, remember, eating too much of anything can cause you to gain weight, or keep you from losing.


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Maddie Ruud profile image

Maddie Ruud  says:
2 years ago

Thanks for busting this all-too-alluring myth for us, Stacie! Right on.

Shana  says:
2 years ago

Should i eat nuts when im trying to lose weight?

Stacie Naczelnik profile image

Stacie Naczelnik  says:
2 years ago

Nuts are a great source of monounsaturated fats (the "good fats"). Eating nuts by the handful will mean you are consuming a lot of calories, so make sure you measure out a serving. Here is link for a calorie and nutritional comparison of nuts: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/food_lists_nut

noguru  says:
15 months ago

of course there is no food that has zero calories. but the negative calorie is referring to the amount of calories your body burns to digest its food. it is true that there are foods whose calorie content is very low and its fiber content is high enough that the body actually burns more calories to digest it than the calories consumed. grapefruit and asparagus are two of them.

juan  says:
15 months ago

Wow, this was a really good read.

Like they've always said, 'if its too good to be true, it probably is...'

Hah. Thanks for the good write, Stacie.

low calorie diet plan  says:
7 months ago

I enjoyed this information

low calorie diet plan  says:
7 months ago

thank you for this story about calories

Nancy's Niche profile image

Nancy's Niche  says:
5 months ago

Excellent article and an easy read---very informative.

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